Drink and Drugs News DDN November 2019 (1) | Page 15

LETTERS AND COMMENT HAVE YOUR SAY Write to the editor and get it off your chest [email protected] They said what..? Spotlight on the national media takeover of our provincial towns is the opposite of clever, it has been utterly woeful and slow. Sally Donovan, Guardian, 4 October So a quarter of young people have seen illegal drugs advertised on social media... I’m amazed that’s all – perhaps the others just aren’t very observant. EVOLVING MARKETS So a quarter of young people have seen illegal drugs advertised on social media (DDN, October, page 5). I’m amazed that’s all – perhaps the others just aren’t very observant. As is the case with so many other aspects of our lives – our jobs, our privacy, our politics ¬– we’re still only at the very beginning of seeing the impact of social media, and the internet in general, on drug sales and distribution. And it’s not simply about advertising drugs for sale. Much of the popularity of drugs like Xanax among young people can be attributed to social media, particularly when it comes to certain rappers and other ‘influencers’. Today’s drug market is very different to that of ten years ago ¬– in another ten it’s going to be virtually unrecognisable. Paul Vernon, by email PAST HISTORY I was heartened to read your account of The Forward Trust’s WWW.DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS.COM ‘More Than My Past’ campaign (DDN, October, page 6). In my twenties and early thirties I was in active addiction and in and out of the criminal justice system. I haven’t touched an illicit substance – or even a drink – in over a decade and yet the stigma is still very much there, especially when applying for a job. These days I’m lucky to have a good job and a supportive boss, but I’ve previously found to my cost that being upfront and honest about the past wasn’t always in my best interest, to say the least. Perhaps social attitudes are finally changing, but it’s going to take a very long time. Alan Rickard, by email MIDDLESBROUGH HEROIN It’s so sad to see lots of sensationalised media coverage. This is a controversial topic that is not helped by the misreporting seen from some media sources. On a lighter note the precedence is set for more local and governmental strategic interventions, development from evidence based research. John Horton, via DDN Facebook page DDN welcomes your Letters Please email the editor, [email protected], or post them to DDN, CJ Wellings Ltd, Romney House, School Road, Ashford, Kent TN27 0LT. Letters may be edited for space or clarity. /ddnmagazine @ddnmagazine www.drinkanddrugsnews.com FOR YEARS NOW, TAXPAYERS have put up with being told what we can eat and drink. We’ve been reassured that each new wheeze by the public health lobby isn’t the start of a slippery slope and that we should be paying the salaries and pensions of the people that push this puritanism on us. This elitism has infected civil society for far too long. This patronising attitude amounts to a simple message: you’re too stupid to have a say in your life – and the state knows best. Matt Kilcoyne, Spectator, 10 October IT IS EASIER TO FIND FAULTS with prohibition than to design a better model. But there is now a compelling case to treat drug use as a public health problem, not a mess for the police to clear up. MPs are understandably cautious about decriminalisation of possession for personal use. The Commons [Health and Social Care] committee recommends only that government consult on the matter. It is the right question for politicians to be asking, and vital that they keep an open mind when looking for answers. Guardian editorial, 23 October NONE OF US ARE RATIONAL CREATURES, and many people continue to view problems with drugs as purely self-inflicted rather than a response to trauma or loss of hope. Those views matter as they are held by people who vote, so while evidence can influence a politician, that tends to be trumped by voters’ views, no matter how illogical they are. We have all the information we need, but we lack the compassion and the courage needed to implement policies that protect rather than harm. Ian Hamilton, Independent, 23 October I HEAR A LOT ABOUT HOW ‘CLEVER’ the county lines drug organisations are. Clever is not the first word that comes to mind to describe luring, trapping and enslaving children, ruining their lives and trashing the lives of their families. Our response as a civil society to this mafia-style People get up in arms about their sweet potatoes coming in plastic wrapping but then don’t think twice about about snorting coke on the weekends. PEOPLE GET UP IN ARMS about their sweet potatoes coming in plastic wrapping but then don’t think twice about snorting coke on the weekends. It’s easy to bash people for their moral inconsistencies but if you’re an environmentalist fighting the good fight, you have to be tough on yourself. Recreational drug use isn’t just a personal risk, it is contributing to the destruction of our planet. Dan Burkitt, Metro, 12 October NOVEMBER 2019 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • 15